Lewis and Clark County posts full BoCC meeting video on YouTube

Lewis and Clark County’s official YouTube channel published the full video recording of the Board of County Commissioners’ public meeting held on March 3, 2026, a posting that adds a new public record for county proceedings.

The posting appears alongside a separate public schedule that lists a Commissioners’ Office at 1037 West Main St., Suite 102, Thompson Falls and shows "NO SCHEDULED MEETINGS" for Tuesday, March 3, 2026. That schedule records meeting materials for Wednesday, March 4, 2026 with filenames tied to recorded items, including Administrative-20260304_172648UTC-Meeting Recording.mp4, Land Services update with Chris McComas-20260304_181519UTC-Meeting Recording.mp4 and County Employee insurance update with Morgan Hirschenberger-20260304_203358UTC-Meeting Recording.mp4, and lists presenters Chris McComas and Morgan Hirschenberger for March 4 items.

County minutes compiled in a public document package show the Lewis and Clark Board of County Commissioners holding meetings in Commission Chambers, Room 330. The minutes note, "The Lewis and Clark Board of County Commissioners Public Meeting was held on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM in Commission Chambers, Rm 330." Those records list Chair Candace Payne, Commissioner Andy Hunthausen and Commissioner Tom Rolfe as present, name Brandi Grande as Recording Secretary and bear the attestation of Amy Reeves, Clerk of the Board. The December 23 minutes also record that "Everyone recited the pledge" and that "There were no consent action items."

County policy language preserved in public schedules emphasizes procedure and public comment: "It is the policy of the Board of County Commissioners to render a decision at a later date after they have had ample time to consider all oral and written public testimony. The BoCC may render a final decision on the same date if substantial new information is not received. Public comment must be limited to matters under the jurisdiction of the Commission." Another schedule page states, "The Board of County Commissioners meets weekly on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m." and cautions, "There may be issues discussed during the meeting that may not be listed on the agenda. If a decision is required on items of significant interest, it will be scheduled for another date/time and posted. Public comments will be heard on agenda and non-agenda items. This schedule is subject to change without notice." The same schedule provides a contact number for assistance, 406-827-6966, and cites MCA 2-3-203(3) regarding the Presiding Officer’s authority to close meetings when discussions relate to individual privacy or legal interest.

Local public bodies in the county area are also adjusting access: the Lewis and Clark Conservation District posted that its March 12, 2026 regular board meeting will be at 1:00 p.m. in the USDA Service Center Conference Room, 790 Colleen Street, Helena, and that the district will not publish its Zoom link online because of "zoom bombing" concerns, asking requests for the link be sent to District Administrator Chris Evans by email. The district lists a contact phone number of 406-502-8591 and said the March meeting packet would be posted on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

The YouTube posting of the March 3 recording creates a readily viewable record of Board business; public minutes and schedules already on file list past meeting dates, commissioners’ names and procedural policies. The presence of a separate schedule that lists no meeting on March 3 while the county channel shows a March 3 recording highlights a scheduling discrepancy between public documents that will require clarification from county administrative staff.